Drug use disorder death rate in Ireland
Ireland: Drug use disorder death rate was 4.86 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021. ▲ Rising
Drug use disorder death rate in Ireland, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100,000 people.
Analysis
In 2021, drug use disorder death rate in Ireland stood at 4.86 deaths per 100,000 people.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 25.0% on the previous year and up 34.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, drug use disorder death rate in Ireland peaked at 6.48 deaths per 100,000 people in 2020 and was at its lowest, 2.76 deaths per 100,000 people, in 2003.
Ireland ranks 8th of 194 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Drug use disorder death rate in Ireland, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 3.39 deaths per 100,000 people | — |
| 2001 | 3.26 deaths per 100,000 people | -3.8% |
| 2002 | 3.15 deaths per 100,000 people | -3.4% |
| 2003 | 2.76 deaths per 100,000 people | -12.4% |
| 2004 | 3.45 deaths per 100,000 people | +25.0% |
| 2005 | 2.93 deaths per 100,000 people | -15.1% |
| 2006 | 3.26 deaths per 100,000 people | +11.3% |
| 2007 | 3.98 deaths per 100,000 people | +22.1% |
| 2008 | 4.13 deaths per 100,000 people | +3.8% |
| 2009 | 4.72 deaths per 100,000 people | +14.3% |
| 2010 | 3.91 deaths per 100,000 people | -17.2% |
| 2011 | 3.61 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.7% |
| 2012 | 3.76 deaths per 100,000 people | +4.2% |
| 2013 | 4.48 deaths per 100,000 people | +19.1% |
| 2014 | 4.04 deaths per 100,000 people | -9.8% |
| 2015 | 3.75 deaths per 100,000 people | -7.2% |
| 2016 | 3.52 deaths per 100,000 people | -6.1% |
| 2017 | 3.37 deaths per 100,000 people | -4.3% |
| 2018 | 4.31 deaths per 100,000 people | +27.9% |
| 2019 | 4.1 deaths per 100,000 people | -4.9% |
| 2020 | 6.48 deaths per 100,000 people | +58.0% |
| 2021 | 4.86 deaths per 100,000 people | -25.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.5 deaths per 100,000 people | 2.76 deaths per 100,000 people | 4.72 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.89 deaths per 100,000 people | 3.37 deaths per 100,000 people | 4.48 deaths per 100,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.67 deaths per 100,000 people | 4.86 deaths per 100,000 people | 6.48 deaths per 100,000 people | 2 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More health data for Ireland
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -4.76 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.89 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,122 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 20 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate -0.8894 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.0884 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate -0.8627 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per capita 0.0926 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is drug use disorder death rate in Ireland?
- Drug use disorder death rate in Ireland was 4.86 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021, according to World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest drug use disorder death rate recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 6.48 deaths per 100,000 people in 2020.
- What is the lowest drug use disorder death rate recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.76 deaths per 100,000 people in 2003.
- How does Ireland rank for drug use disorder death rate?
- Ireland ranks 8th out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is drug use disorder death rate rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 34.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Drug use disorder death rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated number of deaths from drug use disorders in both sexes, per 100,000 people.